Podiobooks.com Joins Aha to Stream Free Audio Books Directly Into Cars

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aha by HARMAN and Podiobooks.com today announced a partnership that streams audio book content directly into vehicles for the very first time. Podiobooks.com offers more than 600 book titles in every type of literary category from Science Fiction to Fantasy to Non-Fiction and Horror. All Podiobooks titles are instantly available on demand to Aha users.

“Audio books are primarily consumed during ‘windshield time’, yet the ways we typically retrieve and play audio books in the car is very outdated”

“Audio books are primarily consumed during ‘windshield time’, yet the ways we typically retrieve and play audio books in the car is very outdated,” said Evo Terra, President of Podiobooks.com. “By distributing our books via the Aha platform, we are finally able to give consumers instant, but safe, access to audio books from anywhere on the go, even right from the driver’s seat. This is the first step in freeing commuters from outdated audio book CDs and moving into the next generation of book listening.”

“Aha uses the cloud to connect drivers to every type of audio content they want to hear, and we handle all the development work to relieve our partners of any cost or burden to get their content right into vehicles,” said Chia-Lin Simmons, Vice President of Marketing and Content for Aha. “Savvy publishers of audio books, news, music and even comedy are seeing the value in the Aha platform and joining us in creating the fourth band of radio. We plan to announce dozens of additional publishing partnerships in the next twelve months.”

After downloading the free Aha app for iPhone or Android, users can use their phones to select and organizer their top stations from over 30,000 choices. When their smart phone is connected to a compatible in-vehicle entertainment system, the users’ favorite Aha stations become radio preset buttons, so drivers can put down the phone and switch between stations just like traditional radio. When they arrive at their destination and exit the car, users can seamlessly continue enjoying their content with their smart phone.

The latest new vehicle to feature Aha as an integrated service is the all-new 2013 Honda Accord. Honda, Subaru and Acura are the first of ten automotive manufacturers that will integrate Aha's content platform in the next year. Pioneer and Kenwood also sell Aha-enabled aftermarket car stereos.

Aha is a part of HARMAN International (NYSE: HAR) the premium global audio and infotainment group. For more information, images and news, please visit Aha’s online press room.

About Podiobooks.com

Podiobooks.com offers the largest collection of free serialized audio books online. Since 2005, they have been helping innovative authors reach a wider audience through free – and legal – file sharing. With over 50,000 episodes downloaded daily, listeners enjoy a wide range of genres and categories of original and hard-to-find audio books. No special software needed, and no pesky DRM to interfere with the sharing of the books you enjoy. For more information, visit http://podiobooks.com.

About Aha by HARMAN

Aha, a unit of HARMAN International Industries, is the interactive platform that makes Web content as easy to use as radio. Aha organizes content from the Web into personalized, live and on demand radio stations that consumers can listen to from anywhere – at home, on the go, or safely from the driver’s seat. Aha is currently working with ten automotive manufacturers that will be launching vehicles with consumer services based on Aha’s cloud-based platform, including Acura, Honda and Subaru. The Aha Platform and Service was started in 2008 by a group of Web and multimedia veterans with a shared passion for delivering an “always on” audio experience to connect drivers to the content they really want. HARMAN, the company that designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets, acquired Aha in September 2010. For more information, visit www.aharadio.com.